


The Flowers That Bloom In My Chest

by CASPIANSLUMOS



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Hanahaki Disease, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:34:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25027021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CASPIANSLUMOS/pseuds/CASPIANSLUMOS
Summary: Everything beautiful must come to an end.
Relationships: Regulus Black/Bartemius Crouch Jr.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 40





	The Flowers That Bloom In My Chest

**Hanahaki Disease is a fictional disease in which the victim of a one-sided love begins to cough and vomit up flower petals. The only cure is if the beloved returns the love. If not, the victim will die.**

Regulus Black was only 15 when he fell victim to the disease. He woke up one night, coughing and wheezing into his hand only to pull back to see bloody pink orchid petals in his hand, clumped together. He told no-one and went straight to the library the very next morning, looking through book and book in an attempt to find an answer. But there was nothing and when he continued to choke on the pink petals, he made the decision to visit Madame Pomfrey.

“Hanahaki Disease,” Pomfrey had said with a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry.” She had said and handed Regulus a small book on the topic. 

Regulus read the book. ‘ _ A disease purely based on love with a happy ending-’  _ the book had said and Regulus had rolled his eyes at that. ‘ _ In which someone in love with another has a forest of flowers growing in their lungs.’  _ The silly book made Regulus’ illness out to be something beautiful, something worth having.

But it was not. There is nothing beautiful about blood, it is simply blood. There is nothing beautiful about choking on pink orchid petals, choking is all it is.  _ There is nothing beautiful about dying. Not a single thing. _

Regulus pretended that he didn’t notice the worried looks he got from his housemates at breakfast when he began to cough and choke on the petals forcing themselves out of his mouth when he saw  _ him  _ walk past with a girl in the year above. He avoided Sirius’ eyes when he walked past in a rush to get to the loo to vomit the petals up somewhere other than down his robes. But Regulus couldn’t pretend to not feel agony every time Barty Crouch Jr ignored him or walked into the common room with his hand in Marianna Bulstrode’s. 

When Regulus was 16, he had rushed himself up to the infirmary after breaking out into a rather hard coughing attack. He sat on one of the beds, his head shoved in a bucket as he vomited bloody petals up. The infirmary was silent aside from the often groan, grunt or gag. Regulus wished he was dead. Anything would be better than this. This was hell. This disease was nothing like the books said and that angered him. If he survived this he decided that he would write his  _ own  _ book on the Hanahaki Disease and how terrible it was and what it really was like, no sugar coating. Just straight facts and truth. 

As petals squeezed through Regulus’ throat, three boys came into the infirmary to see their friend. They called him Moony. Regulus heard the heavy boots stop beside him, felt the presence of his big brother and he slowly lifted his head to look at Sirius. His lips chapped, blood and petals hanging from the cracked skin. Sirius didn’t say anything until Regulus leaned back over the bucket and coughed more petals up.

“What’s wrong with you?” Sirius had asked, looking fearful as his brother choked on the petals. “Why are you doing that?” 

“Hanahaki.” Was Regulus’ reply. Only one word that left trembling lips as he nodded towards the little table beside the hospital bed he was perched upon. His head still in the bucket as he listened to Sirius flip through the pages of the useless and deceiving book.

“Are you dying?” Sirius had whispered, putting the book down. 

Regulus had nodded. He was dying. Barty didn’t love him. He barely even glanced at him these days, not after their argument. It was a stupid argument and Regulus had never regretted something so much in his whole life. Barty had been telling a rather gruesome story of what his father had done to their family house elf and Regulus had become angry, telling Barty that it wasn’t funny and it was cruel and disgusting. Barty had shouted and Regulus had shouted too, they hadn’t spoken in months.

When Regulus was 17 and stuck in bed, unable to attend lessons as every time he did so much as open his mouth, he would choke on the stupid petals. He laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling of the Slytherin dormitory. The door opened and Regulus looked over, surprised to see Barty. He sat up, grabbing his handkerchief and coughing into it, tearing his gaze from Barty who was walking over.

“Hi,” Barty had said and sat down on Regulus’ bed. “You weren’t in class.” He had stated and Regulus nodded, feeling awkward as he choked on the flowers. “Why? Is it because of the flowers?”

Regulus nodded again, not daring to open his mouth. Barty watched him and Regulus squirmed uncomfortably. His throat hurt, his lips were cracked, his eyes were tired and his heart ached. His heart longed for Barty. Longed for him to say those three simple words and mean it. He wanted Barty to love him the way he loved Barty. But life was never simple. Regulus was going to die and he would have to accept that, there was nothing he could do anymore.

“Did you know that mother set me up on a date?” Barty had asked, grinning and Regulus managed a weak smile in return. “With Rosie Jenkins, she wants us to marry,” he added and looked at Regulus who looked away as his heart shattered and his coughs returned and he choked and threw up the beautiful petals.

When he was 18, Regulus went to the cave with Kreacher. There he left the locket with the note and there he died. The pain of his disease and the burning potion were too much and he fell, falling deeper and deeper into the icy cold water. Many believed that it was the Inferi who killed Regulus but Regulus knew that it was Hanahaki who had killed him.

Regulus learnt an important lesson in those four years. And that was that everything beautiful is ruined eventually.

Pink orchid flowers were Barty’s favourite and now they were ruined.


End file.
